1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a railway terminal for loading railway wagons with containers and/or unloading railway wagons which are laden with containers, comprising:
a section of track, and
at least one loading and/or unloading platform which is arranged along and adjacent to the said section of track and which is at a higher level than the said section of track.
2. Description of the Related Art
A railway terminal of this kind is generally known. At a railway terminal of this kind, and also at a railway terminal according to the invention, so-called 20-foot, 30-foot and 40-foot containers can be loaded from the train and onto lorries or from the lorry onto the train. In this case, the railway wagons have an essentially flat loading floor. By means of so-called trolleys, such as for example those which are known from and described in the European Patent EP-B1-0,509,028, the containers can then be displaced in their transverse direction in order to be moved from the platform onto the railway wagons or from the railway wagons onto the platform.
Although the trolleys disclosed by EP-B1-0,509,028 are able to overcome differences in height, and hence also a difference in height between the platform (loading and/or unloading platform) and the railway wagon(s) placed alongside it, the problem continues to arise that this difference in height varies within relatively wide limits. Such a variation can be attributed firstly to different types of railway wagons, in particular the height thereof with respect to the rails, and secondly to the fact that the height of the loading floor with respect to the track (the rails) is dependent on the load on the railway wagon. When a container is placed on the railway wagon, the railway wagon will sink deeper into its suspension depending on the weight of the container and its contents, with the result that the top surface of the loading floor lies at a lower level. When a container is transferred from the railway wagon onto the adjoining platform, the suspension of the railway wagon will spring outwards, so that the top surface of the loading floor lies at a higher level. In this case, the differences in height may even be such that they can no longer be overcome using the standard trolleys.
The object of the present invention is to provide an improved railway terminal, in particular to provide a railway terminal which does not have the abovementioned drawbacks.
This object is achieved according to the invention by the fact that supports are arranged on either side of the section of track, on which supports the superstructure, comprising the loading floor, of a railway wagon to be loaded and/or unloaded can be supported, in such a manner that the loading floor of the said railway wagon is held at a fixed, predetermined height during loading and/or unloading. The drawbacks of the railway wagons springing in and out during loading and unloading are consequently avoided. Supports of this kind may, for example, comprise piston/cylinder units which are disposed vertically on the ground, the pistons of which can be extended upwards to against the superstructure of a railway wagon, in order to support this superstructure at a specific height and, if appropriate, firstly to lift it to this specific height. Cylinder/piston units of this kind can then be fixed in a specific position during loading and unloading.
However, the supports may advantageously also be arranged at a fixed height, in which case the railway wagon, or at least the superstructure thereof, can be lowered onto these supports. For this purpose, the railway terminal according to the invention advantageously also comprises at least one railway wagon which is provided with setting means with which the superstructure can be vertically adjusted with respect to the section of track so as to be supported on and moved upwards from the supports. The setting means used may advantageously be the suspension, in particular the hydraulic or pneumatic suspension. According to an advantageous further embodiment, the setting means then also comprise a hydraulic or pneumatic suspension, which is designed so that it can be activated in order to move the superstructure above the supports or move it upwards and so that it can be let down in order to support the superstructure on the supports. By building up or releasing pressure in the hydraulic or pneumatic suspension system. it is possible to carry out the vertical adjustment of the superstructure. A pneumatic suspension is particularly preferred here, since a suspension system of this kind contributes to reducing the noise produced while the railway wagons are being driven.
In order to ensure, with different types of wagon, that the height difference, in the lowered position, between the loading floor of the railway wagon and the adjoining loading and/or unloading platform is at or approaches a predetermined level, it is advantageous according to the invention if the superstructure of the railway wagon is provided on either side with downwardly facing stop surfaces, by means of which the railway wagon can be supported on the supports, and if the distance from the stop surfaces to the loading floor (or at least the reference plane thereof) preferably has a predetermined value. The predetermined value of this distance will be dependent on the desired difference in height, in the lowered position, between the loading floor and the adjoining loading and/or unloading platform.
In order to facilitate loading and unloading, and to reduce the time required for these operations, it is advantageous according to the invention if the supports are arranged at such a height that, in the position where the superstructure of a railway wagon is supported on them, there is an essentially flat connection between the loading floor and the respectively adjoining loading and/or unloading platform. An essentially flat connection is to be understood here as a difference in height which can easily be overcome by a trolley without special measures, and without having to interrupt the sideways transfer movement of a container to do this. Such a difference in height will then be a difference in height which can be overcome easily by the rollers or wheels of the trolley. In practice, such a difference in height can amount to a few millimeters, for example approximately 1 to 5 mm. The adjustment mechanism which is known from EP-B1-0,509,028 (cf. in particular the explanation given with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8 of this document) used to overcome a difference in height is thus made superfluous, thereby facilitating the design of the trolleys considerably.
A further advantageous embodiment provides for a railway terminal in which a platform is arranged on both sides of the section of track for loading or unloading purposes. It is in this case advantageous according to the invention if a loading platform is arranged on one side of the section of track, while an unloading platform is arranged on the other side of the section of track, and if, in the supported position, the loading floor, for the essentially flat connection to the loading platform, is at a lower level than the top surface of the loading platform and, for the essentially flat connection to the unloading platform, is at a higher level than the top surface of the unloading platform. An embodiment of this kind ensures at all times that the height difference to be overcome by the trolleys or other transfer means when transferring a container will be a negative difference in height, i.e. the base slopes downwards, when viewed in the direction of transport of the container. A downward slope of this nature may amount to a few millimeters, for example 1 to 5 mm up to 1 cm, if necessary, without major problems.
The present invention furthermore relates to a railway terminal for loading railway wagons with containers and unloading railway wagons which are laden with containers, comprising:
a section of track,
a loading platform which is arranged along and adjacent to one side of the said section of track and which is at a higher level than the said section of track, and/or
an unloading platform which is arranged along and adjacent to the other side of the said section of track and which is at a higher level than the said section of track,
characterized in that the top surface of the loading platform slopes downwards towards the section of track, and respectively or in that the top surface of the unloading platform slopes down away from the section of track. A railway terminal of this kind can be used very advantageously in combination with a railway terminal as discussed above. A slope of this kind on the top surface of the loading platform and respectively or the unloading platform facilitates transferring containers sideways towards and away from the section of track, due to the fact that the force of gravity also has an effect. This measure in particular facilitates setting and keeping the containers to be transferred in motion.
Advantageously, the slope of the unloading platform and respectively or the slope of the loading platform will in each case amount to approximately 0.1 cm to 0.8 cm, for example approximately 0.5 cm, per meter of platform width. However, it will be clear that a slope of 1 cm, possibly even slightly more, per meter of platform width is also conceivable. It is important here that the slope be such that a container which is laden to its maximum permissible weight, when it has been placed on, for example, trolleys, cannot slide or roll off to the side of its own accord.
According to a further advantageous embodiment, the top surface of the loading platform and the top surface of the unloading platform will be essentially aligned with one another. The loading floor of the railway wagon which is to be placed between the loading platform and the unloading platform will in this case advantageously be able to be lowered until it is essentially aligned with the loading platform and unloading platform, in which case the connection between the loading floor and the loading platform or the unloading platform may always exhibit a downward slope, as discussed above, in the direction of transport of the container.
The invention furthermore relates to a railway wagon for transporting containers, which railway wagon is particularly suitable for use in a railway terminal according to the invention.
The invention furthermore relates to a lifting device for placing a container, which is standing on folded-out legs, onto the ground with the legs folded in, and for placing such a container which is standing on the ground with the legs folded in on folded-out legs, such as in particular a container in accordance with DIN EN 284, the lifting device comprising at least two cylinder/piston units, which are positioned at a distance from one another, and preferably four cylinder/piston units, which are preferably spaced apart in a rectangular pattern, these cylinder/piston units being disposed vertically in the ground, the piston rods being provided at their free ends with a bearing part on which the container can be supported, and it being possible to retract and extend the piston rods in pairs between a retracted position, in which the bearing part is completely recessed in the ground, and an extended position, in which the distance between the bearing parts and the ground is greater than the standing height of the folded-out legs. A lifting device of this kind allows in particular so-called DIN EN 284 containers (DIN stands for Deutsche Industries Norm) to be placed with a bottom surface on the ground, or conversely to be placed on their folded-out legs with their base raised above the ground. Containers of this kind are used frequently, in particular in Germany, for road haulage. In this case, the container is transported with its legs folded in and placed on the lorry, the lorry being stopped at the designated destination, where the legs are folded out and the lorry is driven away beneath the container. If such containers are then to be transported by railway, the legs must first be folded in. This can be carried out with the aid of cranes, which can take hold of the containers from above. However, such cranes are unsuitable for transferring the container onto a railway wagon (or conversely from the railway wagon onto the platform), since the electrical wiring above the track will be in the way. The lifting device according to the invention is inexpensive to realize and can easily be incorporated in the ground, in particular in the platform, at the loading and/or unloading sites where the containers are transferred onto railway wagons or removed from railway wagons. The lorry will in this case drive such a DIN EN 284 container to above the cylinder/piston units, in order to leave the container behind in the usual manner at that location, resting on its legs, after which, by extending the piston rods, the container can be lifted slightly off the ground, so that the legs can be folded in, after which the piston rods can be retracted again in order to lower the container until its bottom surface rests on the ground. The bearing parts of the piston rods are then lowered into the ground by retracting the piston rod further, so that these bearing parts are no longer in the way. However, it will be clear that this lowering/ability to be lowered of the bearing parts into the ground is only an advantageous option, since it may also be useful if the container is supported just above the ground by bearing parts. The container may then be transferred from the platform onto the railway wagon, for example by means of the abovementioned trolleys. The lifting device according to the invention can be employed advantageously even for unloading such DIN EN 284 containers from the railway wagon. In this case, the container is then moved, for example by means of the abovementioned trolleys, from the railway wagon onto the platform, until it is above the cylinder/piston units which are disposed in the ground, in this case in the platform. After optionally uncoupling the trolleys, the container can then be lifted by means of the cylinder/piston units to a height which is slightly higher than the standing height of the folded-out legs. This makes it possible to fold out the legs, after which the piston rods are retracted again, so that the container is placed on its folded-out legs, and then the piston rods can be retracted again entirely, optionally as far as the position in which they are recessed in the ground.